Describing herself as “allergic to genres,” Izzy Arthurs promises a heartfelt and exciting performance on the Proud Larry’s stage Saturday, Feb. 22, at 9 p.m., with Golden Teacher Society opening for Arthurs’ full band.
Arthurs is a senior singer-songwriter from Jackson, Tenn. She has played around Oxford on multiple occasions but primarily performs in her home state.
“I’m ingrained into the fabric in Tennessee, for sure, and that’s like my home base,” Arthurs said. “But it’s so awesome to be recognized and have an opportunity to play in the second home that I have before I launch out into the world.”
Arthurs has played at Proud Larry’s before, but this is her first time headlining a performance in Oxford.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played (at Proud Larry’s),” Arthurs said. “The difference is that I’ll be bringing down my full band from Tennessee.”
Arthurs’ original songs focus on honestly portraying the human experience.
“I write a lot about human experience, and so a lot of my writing is in a confessional style. So it’s kind of like, write what you know, right?” Arthurs said. “That’s true for me. Writing has always been very honest, and it’s almost unavoidable.”
While she aims to connect with the audience through her original songs, she will also perform covers.
“For the show, we’ll have a healthy mix of covers, too,” Arthurs said. “If people like Chappell Roan or Fleetwood Mac, it’s gonna be so fun and a good night out.”
Arthurs’ has been writing music since age 10 and has continued to use it as a creative outlet.
“Writing has kind of been my outlet for catharsis and for processing every stage of life,” Arthurs said. “And I had a few bands in high school. Music has always been really intrinsic to who I am as a person, so songwriting kind of naturally came about.”
Arthurs is working on a live EP project.
“(The EP) gives you a really good idea of what the Arthurs show sounds like. And my band is five pieces behind me, so that’s six people in the studio,” Arthurs said. “We had a camera crew in there too, so there’s gonna be music videos for each song … all captured in one take. So it’s high stakes but high reward.”
Jacob Money, a senior creative writing major from Olive Branch, Miss., hopes to attend the show on Saturday.
“Izzy is phenomenal at every aspect of performance, and it’s so exciting to get to see a future Grammy winner in action,” Money said.
Information about Arthurs and her upcoming projects can be found at izzyarthurs.com.
“My merch will be coming soon, as will my official music on Spotify and all streaming platforms,” Arthur said. “So this is almost like a preview, a teaser show of what’s about to come.”
